Storm hit Melbourne suburbs ‘like a tornado’

A WILD storm lashed Melbourne last night tearing off roofs and snapping trees in half. See the pictures.

A WILD storm lashed Melbourne last night tearing off roofs and snapping trees in half.

Melbourne’s west was the hardest hit with State Emergency Service (SES) bombarded with calls for help.

Altona Meadows May Ave resident Nick said the forceful winds were “like a tornado”.

“It ripped through and it was very quick,” he said.

“There was a lot of air pressure.”

Nada Kaskine from Truganina stands next to her husband’s vegie patch where a trampoline landed from a street away. Picture: Tim Carrafa

Storm damage in Truganina. Picture: Tim Carrafa

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Kathy Hayward of O’Connor Court in Altona Meadows was outside at the mailbox when the powerful wind hit just before 6pm.

She said heavy concrete roof tiles started flying off the roof.

“One missed me by a couple of inches,” she said.

Two people died as Victoria ran out of ambulances when the wild weather triggered scores of cases of “thunderstorm asthma”.

SES spokesman Marc Dorey said late last night 350 calls had been made since 4pm, most reporting storm damage and fallen trees in Hobsons Bay and Wyndham areas.

SES crews work on a damaged roof in Truganina. Picture: Tim Carrafa

Picture: Tim Carrafa

Part of this carport roof landed in a neighbour’s backyard in Altona Meadows. Picture: Amanda Kemp

The storm front hits Melbourne. Picture Norm Oorloff

Tile damage to homes in Altona North. Picture: Norm Oorloff

An SES crew was to put a tarpaulin over the roof.

Suburbs which were hit the hardest include Altona, Altona Meadows, Hoppers Crossing, Wyndham Vale, Werribee, Tarneit and Truganina.

Two people have been relocated for the night after a tree crashed through the roof of their Dunolly home near Bendigo.

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Trees snapped by the high winds. Picture: Norm Oorloff

A damaged roller door at Altona Meadows. Picture: Norm Oorloff

The storm front near Torquay this afternoon amid high winds and hundreds of lightning strikes. Picture: Pete James/@killershotphoto

@vicsesnews @abcnewsMelb Tarneit- Loretta Blvd 10 houses without roofs pic.twitter.com/pSPa3cUYjq

— Tim (@maltim) November 21, 2016

My poor car! Tornado just hit Altona Meadows. #tornado, #altonameadows pic.twitter.com/VOK5srATU9

— Adam Deverell (@adam_deverell) November 21, 2016

Here comes the storm after Melbourne's hottest November day since 2012!! #melbweather pic.twitter.com/nMna9pzmzC

— Matthew Wu 💯 (@matthewwu) November 21, 2016

Fire threat amid storms

The storm damage comes after the hottest November day in six years had the Bureau of Meteorology issue its very first fire weather warning of the season.

But the weather turned in the evening, with Lorne beach closed due to a lightning warning.

And in true Melbourne fashion, while Melburnians were scorched in the day, rain lashed the city by late afternoon, before the temperature tumbled in minutes from the mid-30s to the mid-20s.

The forecast is for just 17C tomorrow.

CFA WEBSITE: TAP HERE TO SEE LATEST WARNINGS PAGE

Earlier the soaring temperatures fuelled grass fires around the state, which included a 600ha bushfire in the Swan Hill area, in Victoria’s north west.

Firefighters struggled to battle the fire against strong winds fanning the blaze.

A State Control Centre spokeswoman said the fire truck was severely damaged when it got caught in the blaze.

CFA members attempted to seek shelter from the fire when they saw it coming towards them, but the blaze leapt over them, leaving them caught inside.

The two firefighters were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, and were taken to Swan Hill Private Hospital in a stable condition.

“The truck is pretty badly burnt, but the members are not injured,” the spokeswoman said.

Eight aircraft assisted 33 fire crews on the ground.

The CFA issued a warning for locals nearby Swan Hill, urging them to leave before it is too late.

More than 20 crews battling a grassfire near #SwanHill on a Total Fire Ban day for the Mallee region. A Watch and Act issued. @theheraldsun pic.twitter.com/zLecJb6bXL

— Peter Bannan (@Pete_Bannan) November 21, 2016

Aircraft are assisting 33 fire crews. Picture: Peter Bannan.

“Don’t wait, leaving now is the safest option — conditions may change and get worse very quickly,” it read.

A severe thunderstorm warning had been issued for a large part of the state.

Melbourne and Geelong join Mildura, Horsham, Bendigo, Shepparton, Seymour, Maryborough and Ballarat as areas that could be battered by wild weather.

“Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds, heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and large hailstones in the warning area over the next several hours.” the Bureau of Meteorology said in a statement.

Fire crews were also called to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne on Ballarto Rd, which houses precious and endangered plants, about 1.40pm.

Six trucks were called to extinguish the fire which burnt 10,000 sqm of land, and the fire was under control by 2.30pm.

Police were called to attend the scene.

The sun rising over Melbourne yesterday morning. Picture: Nicole Garmston

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Originally published as Storm hit Melbourne suburbs ‘like a tornado’